Originally Posted by
Hawgdriver
Dread, tell me of your King Crimson journey.
On Maynard's suggestion, I bought the King Crimson box set, 4 discs. I enjoyed it but focused my attention on disc 2 in particular (a lot from Larks Tongues, Starless, and Red).
Which albums moved you? Tell me the arc of your fandom.
I remember as a kid getting a small transistor radio for Christmas. I used to listen to a "Progressive Rock" station in the very early '70's, usually with lights out under the covers, with the radio volume so low my parents couldn't hear, radio pressed against my ear. Such stations have barely existed since @1975, stations started being bought up wholesale, when corporate consultants started providing services to dictate play-lists to their stations. The closest thing now is some of the college stations. Anywho, WCMF in Rochester would play long form stuff, whatever the DJ's wanted to play, and one night I heard "In the Court of the Crimson King" - and I'd never even imagined anything so cool could even exist.
My first favorite band was actually ELP, and then I learned that Greg Lake and also been lead vocalist for that strange band King Crimson on ITCOTCK. Had to listen to more! A buddy of mine had "Lark's Tongues in Aspic"*, which he lent me, and then I found "Lizard" (much underappreciated) in a used record bin for $1.00. Other bands come and go as my temporary favorites, but I have never gotten tired of KC. I never could learn to love KC with Adrian Belew; they're good, but not quite the thing. The best era IMO is Larks Tongues, Starless, and Red, and the concurrent King Crimson:USA live album. For earlier stuff the First album is a true classic, "In the Wake of Poseidon" is good, "Lizard" excellent, 'islands" is sorta weak
* far be it from me to advocate such things, and we're talking over 40 years ago, but listening to "Larks Tongues in Aspic: Part 1" with good headphones on in the dark after what Dogfish calls "left-handed cigarettes" and a few beers? Otherworldly.
“What fresh hell is this?”
"A man who picks a cat up by the tail learns something which he can learn in no other way." - Mark Twain
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